


Finding Freedom

by Slytherin_Quidditch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Corban Yaxley - Freeform, Divorce, Domestic Violence, F/M, Infidelity, Marriage, Pardoned Death Eaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 16:17:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10574934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherin_Quidditch/pseuds/Slytherin_Quidditch
Summary: Corban Yaxley owes Hermione Granger for his freedom.  He believes his feelings to be ones of gratitude but soon realizes he is in love with a married witch.  When Hermione becomes single again he isn't going to waste anymore time.





	

He watched as she sat at the bar ordering drink after drink.  Blackout was a popular pub with the Wizarding World’s famous, as the press was not allowed on premise.  Granted there was no way to completely keep the press from finding out the comings and goings of the pub’s patrons as people loved to talk about seeing ‘celebrities.’  

He found himself an empty table that gave him a clear view of the woman at the bar.  He watched as a few men tried to approach her but she quickly brushed them off.  She had no need for the men who thought they’d take advantage of a brokenhearted woman.

The curly haired witch had become the gossip columns’ favorite topic as of late.  Half blaming her for her husband straying from their marital bed, the other half believing him to be in the wrong.  Though her husband’s fans were much more vocal and the witch had found herself on the receiving end of an exorbitant amount of hate mail.  She even had to take leave from work due to the howlers that continued to disrupt the workplace.

He watched as she kept her head high and didn’t let those lesser than her see her tears.  He’d been following the divorce proceedings closely, especially after he received the report that the aurors had to be called to stop a domestic dispute at the household.  He felt his blood boil when he viewed the golden girl’s face bruised and swollen.  Her husband apparently didn’t take kindly to his wife telling him she was leaving due to his infidelity.  

After the pictures of the incident were leaked to the Prophet, the Weasley-Granger divorce proceedings moved along much faster.  When the female of the golden trio had applied for a divorce the courts had nearly moved to a standstill.  They didn’t want the public to see the fallout of one of the most famous couples in Wizarding England, and with the drawn out process they had hoped the pair would reconcile. 

* * *

 

He had managed to hold onto his position as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after the war, due to feeding the Order information on Death Eater plans.  Once the Dark Lord had fallen after the first war he had been relieved.  His father had forced him to receive the mark as a young adult, and with the fall of the Lord Voldemort, he thought himself free to move on with his life.  

The night his mark flared back to life was a literal nightmare.  The Dark Lord ordering the killing of the only child of a prominent pureblood family just reinforced his belief that the thing they followed only cared for his own power.  He was desperate to find a way to keep the madman from taking power and the Order of the Phoenix was the only group that dared stand in opposition.  

He had to work for months for the group to gain his trust and very nearly lost it when he had to give chase to the Golden Trio, who thankfully ‘escaped’ him.  His information saved many lives and should have kept him out of prison.  Though the woman sitting at the bar drinking far more than she should be was the real reason he stayed out of prison.

Hermione Granger interviewed everyone of the Order’s spies.  She wanted to know why they joined the Death Eaters, why they changed sides, and their views on blood purity.  A great majority that switched sides were like him, forced by their parents to take the mark.  Some like Lucius Malfoy came to realize the destruction the Dark Lord would create if he fully came to power far later in the war.  While he wasn’t put away for life he did lose a great deal and would most likely never hold the influence he once had.    

When she interviewed him he allowed her the use of Legilimency to view his childhood and early adulthood.  She was horrified to see that his father had spent most of his childhood abusing him, to make him stronger.  He let her see the devastation he felt at his father threatening to make his muggleborn lover disappear if he didn’t break off the relationship.  He had never held true belief in blood purity, while he had looked down on others it was more due to their lack of social manners.  She watched her escape from the ministry through his eyes and felt the hope that filled him when they evaded him.  

She had made a great deal of friends with the former Death Eaters that she had saved from life sentences in prison due to their fathers’ mistakes.  She was the only one who had stood up for them and let them show their side of the story.  The all held the female piece of the Golden Trio in high esteem.  Though each case that she won drove a deeper wedge in her relationship with Weasley.  Once the cases were over she conceded to her then boyfriend to marry and start a family.  The two married in a hurry and soon Hermione Granger faded away from the public eye.  

The pair had been married for two years when strains of gossip about Weasley’s wandering eye started appearing.  The whispers soon became pictures in the Prophet of Weasley out with other women, kissing them and sometimes even more.  Hermione stayed silent on the matter and tried to be better for her husband.  She snapped when Ronald started bringing his flings home, to their marital bed.  Then a few witches came forward with allegations that Weasley impregnated them.  

While Hermione refused to drop to her husband’s level, she was seen out in the company of pardoned Death Eaters or wives of Death Eaters as well as some of her friends from Hogwarts.  And many believed the rumours that surrounded the Gryffindor witch, that she had discarded her vows long before Ronald.  That she had taken advantage of the men on trial, forcing them to engage in favors for her to support them.  Once again the Prophet let Rita Skeeter label Hermione Granger a scarlet woman. 

Then she was leaving Weasley.  She had met with him at this very bar and told him about how she filed for divorce.  She informed him that she had been trying for a long time to hold together a relationship that never really existed.  She granted many people their freedom and now she wanted hers.  She couldn’t go to Potter as he was still under the impression that the couple was just having a minor rough patch and would forget this divorce nonsense soon.  She told him she was afraid, that Weasley could be unpredictable.  

He wanted to go with her to collect her things.  She refused and said it would just make things worse.  Her showing up to tell her husband she was divorcing him with another man in tow would just make her look like she was carrying on an affair.  Corban understood though he didn’t like her going alone.  She didn’t have anywhere to go once she moved out.  Corban offered up a guest wing in his manor.  She was reluctant to accept but he insisted.  She told him she would think about it.    

When she was released from St. Mungos after being beat by her husband.  Corban found her crying in his office at the Ministry.  He had wanted to make good on his Death Eater reputation but one look at her told him he was needed here far more.  He looked her over and told her to let him take care of her.  She clung to him as he apparated her to his home.  He had set up the guest wing for her arrival.  Corban ended up holding her all night as she relived the abuse she received again in her dreams. 

He felt deeply for the witch that gave him his freedom and assumed that it was just gratitude.  Rabastan then pointed out that she had done far more for him and he didn’t feel the need to do half the things Corban did for her.  She came home for dinner and told him that the divorce was nearly finalized.  He kissed her for the first time that night.  She pulled away, said she couldn’t not while she was still married.  They would use it against her.  He understood and let her know he’d be waiting.  She gave him one of her bright smiles and he felt himself light up. 

Her divorce would be finalized by the end of the night and Corban wasn’t going to let the opportunity to pursue his witch slip through his fingers.  So he’d sit across the room and watch her drink away her marriage tonight.  But tomorrow she’d know how he felt and he was almost positive she felt the same.  Corban pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and opened it to view the diamond ring inside.  A single diamond was paired with a ruby and an emerald.  

Hopefully she wouldn’t remain Hermione Granger for too long.  Hermione Yaxley sounded quite nice to him.  She gave him his freedom and in return he would give her all the love he held for her.  

He looked up to find Hermione struggling to stand from the stool she was perched on.  Corban moved swiftly through the crowd to reach her.  “Cor” He heard her slur out.  “I want to go home.”  He took her arm and slowly led her toward the back exit, that provided them with the privacy to apparate without everyone knowing they left together. 

Hermione miraculously didn’t vomit when they arrived but drunkenly leaned on him causing him to practically carry her into the house.  A quick word with one of his house elves had them stripped of their coats and a sober up potion in hand for Hermione.  “I need you to drink this love.”  Hermione gazed up at the blonde man that was placing her on the drawing room couch and wrinkled her nose at the potion.  “If you don’t drink this you’re going to be feeling worse than awful tomorrow.”  Corban informed her and finally she accepted the potion.  

Hermione felt like her head was going to implode.  Corban handed her a glass of water and she gratefully drank the entire glass.  The grandfather clock in the corner struck midnight as the two sat together.  “I’m not married anymore.”  Hermione started as she turned to look at Corban.  He slipped his hands into her curls and tugged her to him.  He glanced up at her closed eyes and slightly parted lips before dropping his lips to hers.  

The two parted and Corban felt his heart race as he looked over the witch he was in love with.  He found himself reaching into his pocket for the ring.  “Marry me?”  He asked quietly.

Hermione followed his example and pulled Corban down for another kiss.  “Yes.”                  


End file.
